Exploding Planet

This tutorial will show you in detailed step by step how to create a exploding planet. This tutorial may seem like its long, its not really that long, just that I including alot of screenshots for accuracy..

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500x500 and fill the background with black. Then create
a new layer.

now go to Filter » Render » 3D Transform.
On the "3D Transform" box, select the ROUND
shape tool . and draw a shape on the canvas, look
at my image below.

Then use the trackball
tool and rotate your shape so you get something
like below

Now click on the OPTIONS button (from above screenshot),
change the Resolution and Anti-aliasing both to HIGH.
Click ok, then click ok again to exit the 3D transform
mode.

Now you should have something like mine.

Now duplicate the 3D shape layer.
(Right click on the layer and select Duplicate
Layer).

Now hide the top layer. Then go to Layer » Merge
Visible

------ »

Now to create the ray of light effect,
do the following steps. (we will not be working on the
background layer, leave the top layer alone for now).

Now make a selection like in the previous
step (the step before the last), Inverse, Feather by
10. and then Radial Blur.

Now, we will work on the top layer.
Click on the eye to un-hide it, and click on it to make
it the working layer.

Now go to Filter » Blur » Radial Blur.
and just reapply the previous settings.

Now go to Filter » Distort » Ocean Ripple:
Set the Ripple size to 15, and Magintude
to 20.

Now set this layer's blending mode to: Difference.

You should now have this:

Now click on the new Adjustment layer
icon to create a new "Color Balance" layer.

Now, for each of the options " Shadows, midtones
and highlights, just move your color sliders to adjust
the colors, play around and you can get some really
cool colors. Alternatively, you can use the Hue/Saturation
option instead.

Instead of setting the blending mode
of the top layer to difference, play around with different
modes to get different effects. Heres a few variations:

Blending mode: Normal

Blending mode: Linear Burn:

To find out how the above one was made, download the
PSD file, its easy.

NOTE: theres a little
illusion with the above image, try to just look at one
spot on the planet, and keep your eye on there, and
you will see that its moving.